Litchfield

Formed October 9, 1751 (6^th county)

Litchfield County (185,000), Torrington (35,499)

The clock tower and castle look to the stone Colonial Revival structure are unique.  The only courthouse in Litchfield was built in 1888 on West Street at North Street.  The building was remodeled in 1915.  This courthouse was recently sold and the Torrington courthouse became the primary structure.  KBE Building Corporation is the architect of the Torrington courthouse.  West Street is United States Highway 202 through this small town.  A Bantam courthouse augments the Torrington structure but is scheduled to close.  The county was created on October 9, 1751 as the 6^th county and named for the town which was named for Litchfield, England.  Litchfield County was the birthplace of 7 Connecticut Governors, John C. Smith, Oliver Wolcott, Jr., Henry Dutton, Alexander H. Holley, Abiram Chamberlain, Marcus H. Holcomb, and Charles A. Templeton.  The county was taken from parts of Fairfield, Hartford, and New Haven counties. 

Litchfield County doesn’t have a unified government as each township governs.  Eight Superior District Court Judges and Five Probate Judges serve Litchfield County.  The county is in northwest Connecticut on the border with both Massachusetts and New York.  The center of the county is 6.3 miles Northwest of Litchfield.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Massachusetts and Hartford, New Haven, and Fairfield counties and New York. 

The area of the county is 920 square miles.  It is 1 out of 8 in the state.  It ranks 5 out of 8 in population in the state.  It has a density of 201.1 persons per square mile making it 8 out of 8 in the state.  Litchfield County has 20.2% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 6 crosses the southeast corner of the county from Hartford County, east, to New Haven County, south.  United States Highway 7 enters from Massachusetts to the north and exits into Fairfield County to the south.  United States Highway 44 crosses the northern part of the county, Hartford County to New York.  United States Highway 202 enters from Hartford County, east, and joins with United States Highway 7 to exit into Fairfield County, south.  The highest point in Connecticut, Mount Frissell, is in the county.  The overall county shape is a keystone facing east.  Litchfield is near the center of the county.  Torrington is in the northeast quarter of the county.  Litchfield is the county seat and Torrington is the largest city.  Litchfield is 0.6% of the county population while Torrington is 19.2% of the county population.  The county is in the Torrington Micropolitan Statistical Area.